The full title of this intriguing publication is How to Play Bowls - The Centre Line Method (Including Advanced Coaching). Books devoted primarily to coaching are rare and this one focuses on a method advocated by George Claridge, a respected New Zealand bowler and coach who, ably assisted by some of the country's leading bowlers, claimed to have coached more world bowls representatives than any other coach.

Essentially, the 'centre line method' for a right-handed player involves placing the right foot on the front left-hand side of the mat with foot pointing to the aiming point - to the right of the centre line for forehand shots and to the left for backhand shots. The left foot is placed anywhere for comfort off the mat. Both forehand and backhand deliveries are made as close to the centre line as possible, thereby assisting consistency. The author goes on to argue that the mat is so small in relation to the the distance a bowl has to travel that moving position on the mat to draw inside or around a bowl in the draw line is not possible.

The last twelve pages of the book are devoted to an aspect of bowls seldom found in any bowls book - the reading of heads. Fourteen positions are illustrated and analysed.